Kitchen working area (39 photos): how to choose the right height, make lighting, install lamps with your own hands, instructions, photo and video tutorials

When starting to repair the kitchen of the owners, of course, they are concerned about many questions. What materials for finishing the working area to choose, what color scheme and style of interior decor will look spectacular and modern.

Also important is the issue of attracting construction and finishing teams, or what kind of kitchen repair work can be done independently. In addition, the working area of ​​the kitchen should have competent and beautiful lighting.

It is advisable, when starting the repair, to draw up a project of the proposed work, think over the style of the interior and calculate the required amount of materials. Then it will be easier to meet the budget and timing of the repair.

The working area in the kitchen is one of the most functional and important interior details. Therefore, we will consider in more detail what you should pay attention to when carrying out repair work.

Materials for the apron and the floor of the kitchen working area

A large selection of finishing materials allows you to design an apron for the kitchen in accordance with the overall style of the interior.

What options for finishing the apron and floor in the kitchen working area can you choose:

• Decorating the wall of the working area with plastic panels involves laying tiles on the floor that are in harmony in color and texture with the wall decor (see also article Plastic panels for kitchens and worktops as a protective surface). The price of such a finish is not high, and the choice of options for colors and textures of panels is quite diverse.

Important. Tiles on the floor for the kitchen working area should be chosen with an anti-slip coating.

• Wall and floor cladding with ceramic tiles is always popular and for good reason (see also article Ceramic tiles for the kitchen on the apron: selection and installation). This option for decorating the kitchen working area is functional and hygienic. And the variety of colors and textures of ceramic tiles gives room to show imagination and creativity in kitchen decor.

Important. It is important to combine the lighting of the working area in the kitchen with the color of the tile cladding. Fluorescent lamps used to illuminate the work area can slightly distort the color of the tile. Therefore, before choosing a tile and lighting, you need to check how the color of the cladding changes under different lighting conditions.

• The design of the kitchen working area made of natural stone looks presentable and will last for many years, but the cost of such cladding is quite high;

• The glass backsplash cladding perfectly matches the design of the modern kitchen. In addition, as you can see in the photo, drawings applied to a glass or mirror surface can become the central design element of the kitchen work area.

Important. Glass and mirror surfaces visually make a small kitchen space more spacious and brighter. Therefore, for small kitchens, it is worth choosing just such a decor option. Correctly selected lamps for the working area of ​​the kitchen can also visually make the room larger.

Lighting and illumination

Properly organized lighting and lighting play an important role in the design of the kitchen in general and the work area in particular.

The lighting of the kitchen working area can be roughly divided into several types:

• Basic lighting;
• Illumination of certain areas of the room;
• Decorative lighting.

When choosing lamps for the kitchen, it is advisable to be guided by the standards that are regulated by the instructions for the illumination of residential premises. If the rooms have enough illumination of twenty watts per square meter, then for the kitchen these figures are much higher.

For example, luminaires for a kitchen work area should have a maximum luminous power of one hundred watts per square meter. And the optimal overall illumination of the kitchen is recommended seventy-five watts per square meter of kitchen area.

Important. It is recommended to use a luminaire for the kitchen working area IP 22, such luminaires are protected from moisture and dust. A higher level of protection of lighting fixtures is marked with IP 54, but this reinsurance in an ordinary kitchen would be unnecessary.

Which lamps are preferable for the kitchen

Today, the choice of lighting fixtures for the kitchen is limited to several options:

• Halogen lights for the kitchen work area are an energy efficient lighting option, but their cold bluish light can distort the color of the food, which is not very pleasant. Therefore, it is undesirable to choose these lighting devices to illuminate the working area;
• Illumination of the kitchen working area with elongated fluorescent lamps is the best option for lighting. With a high light output, five times higher than that of conventional bulbs, the energy consumption of fluorescent lamps is minimal;

• Conventional incandescent bulbs can also be used to illuminate the kitchen working area if the owners prefer the traditional lighting option. But in this case, care must be taken that splashes and dirt do not fall on the lamp;
• LED strips are mainly used for decorative illumination of the working area, but not as a functional lighting option. Such tapes can be easily installed with your own hands, showing imagination in the decor of the kitchen.

Important. When installing electrical appliances in the working area of ​​the kitchen, it is necessary to carefully check the insulation of all wiring in order to avoid a short circuit when water gets on the wires.

Read also the article "Lighting for kitchen cabinets according to the instructions."

Lighting options for the kitchen working area

On our website you can watch video materials on modern lighting design of kitchens and choose the design option you like. The main rule for organizing lighting in the kitchen is the absence of harsh shadows and darkening of the functional areas of the room. Therefore, the optimal basic lighting for the entire kitchen will be lighting fixtures with a matt diffusing light shade.

Council. Directed upward towards the ceiling, the light stream from the central lamp will make the room visually larger.

There are several basic rules for competent lighting of the kitchen working area:

• If the working area is near the window in the kitchen, then the backlight should be located in such a way that glare from the window glass does not interfere. For this, lighting fixtures must be located at the corners of the working area. The direction of light is at an angle strictly in the direction of the countertop and the stove with a sink;
• Another option for lighting is directional clothespin lamps, which can be placed arbitrarily throughout the entire working area of ​​the kitchen. But such lighting can only be temporary and will be in demand if the working area is by the window in the kitchen;
• The most common lighting option is to place elongated fluorescent lamps under wall cabinets above the kitchen work area. Such lighting is often already provided by manufacturers of furniture sets and is already built into furniture panels;

• If the height of the working area of ​​the kitchen is small, then you can arrange adjustable lamps on the ceiling, stepping back sixty centimeters from the wall. This variant of the arrangement of the luminaires allows you to adjust the direction of the lighting as needed;

• For an “island” kitchen, in which the working area is located in the center, it is advisable to choose adjustable lamps on brackets that are attached to the ceiling at different levels. The photo shows that the brackets for the lamps can have a wide variety of designs (chains, chrome metal brackets, wooden structures).

Important. It is better to choose plafonds for lamps in the kitchen that are smooth, without an abundance of decor, since they must be washed often. After all, pollution on the lampshades take more than twenty percent of the luminous flux.

When deciding on the choice of lighting, do not forget that zoning the kitchen with the help of light is also of no small importance. If the working area in the kitchen must be provided with bright lighting, then the dining area assumes an illumination of at least fifty watts per square meter.

Depending on the style of the interior design, you can choose several sconces to illuminate the dining area or one lamp above the dining table, as you can see in the photo.

Important. It should be borne in mind that luminous fluxes from luminaires can overlap each other, forming harsh shadows. Therefore, before choosing the placement of luminaires, check their joint use.

Illumination of the working area in the kitchen - see here.

Conclusion

The lighting of the kitchen working area should not only be functional, but also be combined in style with the overall design of the room. In all other respects, the lighting design depends on the tastes, preferences and lifestyle of the owners of the house.